What’s your association with upside-down cakes? Until fairly recently, I’d always considered them passé — in the same culinary category as Jell-O salads and other potluck curiosities.

Pineapple (usually canned), of course, is the most commonly featured fruit, sometimes along with maraschino cherries. And while I enjoy fresh pineapple, that combination never appealed to me in a cake — too cloyingly sweet.

But earlier this year, Cook’s Illustrated published a recipe for a pear-walnut upside-down cake. Despite my aforementioned lack of enthusiasm for the category, something in the recipe notes compelled me to give it a chance, and I’m glad I did. It’s fragrant and floral from the pears, with a perfect balance of sweetness and nutty complexity from the brown sugar and walnuts. It’s a satisfying capstone to a meal without being overly rich. And as much as I loved it, my sentiments were truly validated when my husband, who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, requested that I make it again.

According to Cook’s Illustrated, Bosc pears (the tan-skinned ones) work best for baking, and they’re called for here. They don’t get as soft as other pears when ripe, so keep that in mind when selecting them in the grocery store — they should be fairly firm.

The recipe is written for a large food processor, which I use, but if you don’t have one, you can still make this. I’d just grind the walnuts to a fine consistency in a clean coffee or spice grinder, combine them with the rest of the dry ingredients, and use an electric mixer wherever a food processor is specified in the rest of the recipe.

I’ve made this cake several times now, and I can’t recommend it enough. It comes together quickly, but looks festive—excellent attributes whether you’re bringing it to a holiday party or just making it on a Tuesday night. The only change I made to the original recipe was to add some cinnamon and nutmeg, but feel free to omit these if you’d prefer a more straightforward flavor profile.

Pear-Walnut Upside-down Cake

(Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, February 2016)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (divided)

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

3 “ripe but firm” Bosc pears (8 ounces each)

1 cup walnuts, toasted

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

Couple pinches nutmeg

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour half (4 tablespoons or ¼ cup) of the melted better in the prepared pan and swirl to coat evenly.

Stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the melted butter in the cake pan.

Peel, halve, and core pears. Set half of one pear aside. Cut each remaining pear half into 4 wedges (you’ll have 20 pieces total). Arrange the pear slices in a circular pattern around the cake pan with the smaller ends pointing inward. (If your pears are on the large side, you may need to trim the tapered ends a bit to fit.)

In a large food processor, combine the toasted walnuts, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, remaining½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Pulse the machine 8-10 times, until the walnuts are finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Add the eggs and granulated sugar to the now-empty food processor. Turn on the machine and run for about two minutes, until the mixture turns very pale yellow. With the machine running, add the remaining melted butter (4 tablespoons or ¼ cup) and vegetable oil in a steady stream until fully incorporated. Add the walnut/flour mixture and pulse until combined. Pour batter over pears in the cake pan.

Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin spatula or knife around the edge of the cake, then quickly invert cake pan onto a wire rack. Carefully lift cake pan off the cake; peel off parchment paper and discard.

Let cool, slice, and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Emily Scace, an editor, enjoys discovering new recipes and perfecting old ones in her East Lyme kitchen. She cooks with local ingredients, including whatever is growing in her garden. She can be reached at savoringseasons@gmail.com.